Pallet-type shipping containers

ABSTRACT

A pallet type shipping container comprises a pallet with floor boards which extend a short distance beyond the pallet runners, and side panels so notched as to form a box joint at the corners. Panels are locked together by angular corner posts which engage slots on the side of the panel. Lifting the panels off the pallet is prevented by an inwardly facing reinforcing strip on the side panels which locks under the overhanging portion of the pallet floor boards. Knocked-down panels lie flat for return shipment.

United States Patent [19'] Talbert 1 Jan. 23, 19 73 [54] I PALLET-TYPE SHIPPING CONTAINERS [75] Inventor: William Lewis Talbert, York, Pa.

[73] Assignee: Canton Company of Baltimore, Baltimore, Md.

[22] 2 Filed: Dec. 22, I970 [21] Appl. No.2 100,631

[52] US. Cl. ..2l7/12, 217/65, 217/69 [51] Int. Cl. ..;B6Sd 9/24, B65d 9/34 [58] Field or Search ..2l7/12, 65,69,43,43 A

[56] References Cited UNlTEDSTATES PATENTS 2,901,141 8/1959 Dedmon ..2l7/43 A 1,640,080 8/1927 Hieb et a1. 2,961,113 11/1960 Kienlen ..217/69 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,270,581 7/1961 France ..2l7/43 A Primary Examiner-Leonard Summer AttorneyTheodore C. Browne [57] ABSTRACT A pallet type shipping container comprises a pallet with floor boards which extend a short distance beyond the pallet runners, and side panels so notched as to form a box joint at the corners. Panels are locked together by angular corner posts which engage slots on the side of the panel. Lifting the panels off the pa]- let is prevented by an inwardly facing reinforcing strip on the side panels which locks under the overhanging portion of the pallet floor boards. Knocked-down panels lie flat for return shipment. Y

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PALLET-TYPE SHIPPING CONTAINERS This invention relates to a collapsible shipping container for pallets. I

It is customary for component parts of many machines and automotive equipment to be made in specialized factories which produce but one or a few of the individual parts. These parts are then shipped to an assembly plant where the entire machine is put together.

Many of the parts are bulky and heavy; many, such as steering arms, are very awkward to handle, and consequently they do not lend themselves to usual form of pallet transport. Unless the parts are boxed, they form an unruly pile which is practically impossible to handle by fork lift systems. Nevertheless, the parts are consumed so rapidly at the assembly plant that boxing handlable quantities of such parts becomes an unwarranted expense.

The present invention temporarily converts a pallet into a bin which may hold a considerable number of parts no matter how awkward their shapes may be. The bin can be then handled by the ordinary fork lift loaders, and can be stacked in warehouses.

When the parts have been removed from the pallet bin at the assembly plant, the side walls can be disassembled, laid flat, and the pallet, together with the flatpacked sides,'can then be shipped back to the hardware plant. This results in a tremendous saving in the space requirement, and an increase in the load-carrying capacity of a trailer or freight car for the return journey.

The invention will be understood from the specification and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an assembled view' of the pallet-bin in perspective,

FIG.2 is a perspective view of the modified pallet,

- FIG. '3 is an elevation of one of the end walls,

FIG. 4 is an elevation of one of the side walls of the bin, and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a corner post.

The invention comprises a pallet, 10, consisting of the floorings, 11, supported on the skids or runners, 12. Each of the floorings, 11, extends beyond the runner, 12, from an inch to 1% inches, and the runners, 12, extend outwardly from the last floor board, 11a, approximately three-fourths of an inch. Floor boards and the runners are held together in any appropriate manner, usually byscrew-type nails. A centrally located skid 20 maybe added if the loadis heavy.

The end members of the assembly "include a heavy plywood panel, 13, which bears a protruding tongue, 14, on each of its ends. Save for very short sections, 15-15, at each end of the panel, the lower margin, 27, is relieved or cut away so that the short sections, 15, in effect form two very short legs. By relieving the lower margin of the panels, 13, in this manner so that the lower face of the floorings, l1, lies below the margin, 27, much fork-lift damage is avoided. Transverse grooves, 16, are formed on the outer faces of the panels, 13, adjacent each end of the panel.

Side panels, 17, are formed of the same heavy plywood, sufficiently wider than the panels, 13, to allow the stiffening strips, 18, which are somewhat narrower than the vertical height of the runners, 12, to be attached to their inner lower margins.

Each of the panels, 17, is notched at 19 to form a box joint with the tongues, 14, of the panels, 13. Transverse grooves, 21, are formed on the outer face of the panels, 17, adjacent each end of the panel.

In assembling the bin, the end panels, 13, are placed so that the lower end surfaces, 22, of the short legs, 15, rest on the extended portions, 23, of the runners, 12. The panels, 17, are then pushed under the overhanging portion, 24, of the floorings, l1, and metal comer posts, 25-25, arepushed downward with their retaining margins, 26, engaging the slots, 16 and 21. Since the stiffening strips 18, on the panel, 17, prevent the panel from being pushed upwardly, and the tongues, 14, of the panels, 13, engage the slots, 19, the sides of the bin cannot be lifted off the pallet.

If very heavy parts are to be shipped, it is an advantage to place a reinforcing strip, 28, along the bottom outer margin of the panels, 13, and also to fasten a like strip, 29, along the top margin as shown in FIG. 1.

The angular locking strips, 25, cannot drop down because their lower ends bring up against the top face of the stiffening strip, 18. It follows that to disassemble the bin, the corner posts have to be pulled upwardly beyond the extent of the panels.

As the assembled view FIG. 1 shows in break-away, tops, 31, can be added and are used whenever there is danger of pilferage. Tops, 31, comprise a panel which covers the entire bin, and rests on the top edges of the panels, 13, and their reinforcing strip, 29, should they be used. A frame, 32, just fitting within the interior walls of the bin is fastened to the lower surface of the top. If the tops should be sealed by strapping, it is an advantage to place a reinforcing strip 30 transversely across the frame to prevent any buckling as the strapping is pulled taught. 7

As a result, the assembly is extremely rigid, and possesses excellent rocking strength despite the fact that as soon as the bin is unloaded, the sides may be quickly knocked down and a flat package made from all of the parts for the return journey to the factory.

The pallet type shipping containers of this invention have been tested by the shipment of heavy motor vehicle parts. These were merely placed in the containers, but otherwise were unrestrained. Loads of one ton were easily handled. The containers were repeatedly used for parts shipment. In each instance, when the containers were emptied, the side panels were disassembled by removing the corner locking posts. The sides were laid flat on the pallet and strapped into a completed package which was returned to the factory. The returned containers showed no damage resulting from racking strains. Their corners were not loosened. These containers make an inexpensive and easy way of handling reasonably heavy and awkward parts, and because they are'capable of reuse for many trips, they offer considerable savings to the manufacturer.

Iclaim:

1. A collapsible pallet-type bin comprising a pallet consisting of a. floorings supported on runners, each of the floorings extending outwardly beyond said runners,

b. each end of each runner extending beyond the lateral margins of the end floorings,

. side and end panels designed to form upstanding sides about the outer margins of said pallet, each side panel having notched ends, and each end panel having tongues projecting from each end wall, adapted to fit within the notches in the side panels,

. a relief cut in the lower margin of the end panels to cause the lower face of the floorings to lie below the said relieved margin,

. the said relief out leaving short legs adjacent the vertical margins of each end panel adapted to rest on each extension of the said runner,

. a stiffening strip attached to the inside face of the said side panels along the lower longitudinal margin, the said strip having a width somewhat less than the height of the said runners and adapted to look under the projecting ends of the floorings,

having a spill-proof and theft-resistant cover co-extensive with the maximum dimension of the said bin, the

said cover bearing a reinforcing frame on its interior surface, having exterior walls which fit closely against and offer support to the interior walls of the said panels, and wherein the interior face of the said cover bears a transverse reinforcing strip to prevent bowing of the panels of the said bin when the bin is sealed by strapping.

# i i i i 

1. A collapsible pallet-type bin comprising a pallet consisting of a. floorings supported on runners, each of the floorings extending outwardly beyond said runners, b. each end of each runner extending beyond the lateral margins of the end floorings, c. side and end panels designed to form upstanding sides about the outer margins of said pallet, each side panel having notched ends, and each end panel having tongues projecting from each end wall, adapted to fit within the notches in the side panels, d. a relief cut in the lower margin of the end panels to cause the lower face of the floorings to lie below the said relieved margin, e. the said relief cut leaving short legs adjacent the vertical margins of each end panel adapted to rest on each extension of the said runner, f. a stiffening strip attaChed to the inside face of the said side panels along the lower longitudinal margin, the said strip having a width somewhat less than the height of the said runners and adapted to lock under the projecting ends of the floorings, g. all of said panels having a transverse locking slot cut in the outer face of the panel adjacent each end, and h. metallic corner posts having inturned marginal flanges adapted to fit in the said transverse slots to lock the panels together.
 2. A collapsible pallet-type bin as claimed in claim 1 having a spill-proof and theft-resistant cover co-extensive with the maximum dimension of the said bin, the said cover bearing a reinforcing frame on its interior surface, having exterior walls which fit closely against and offer support to the interior walls of the said panels, and wherein the interior face of the said cover bears a transverse reinforcing strip to prevent bowing of the panels of the said bin when the bin is sealed by strapping. 